Kirk *
Captain's Log stardate 2372.9. After spending several months at Starbase 6 for repairs, the Enterprise is prepared to return to her journey. A few of our officers have been temporarily replaced while they go on a long shore leave. The new officers will stay with us while we head out to the Alpha Quadrant of the galaxy, about a day from this base.
"So, Lieutenant Reves and Lieutenant Varn, I heard you two are new to a starship. Just got out of the Academy a few years back."
"Yes, sir," Lt. Reves, the dark-haired man, answers. "I've never been on a starship like this before. It's a Constellation class, isn't it?"
Kirk smiles. "Yes, it is. What about you, Miss Varn?" he addresses the woman with light, curly brown hair and slightly slanted eyebrows.
She doesn't smile. "I have been on a starship briefly, but have never served on one."
Spock speaks for the first time. "Judging by your appearance and your behavior as far as I have observed, you are part Romulan. Am I correct, Lieutenant Varn?"
She smiles this time, an interesting smile aimed directly at the Vulcan. "Yes, I am, Commander…"
"Spock," he answers emotionlessly.
"Spock," she echoes. "What an interesting Vulcan name."
Kirk is noticing how attractive this half-Romulan woman is, and he suddenly likes it a little less. "Well, we're glad to have you aboard, Lieutenant Varn, Lieutenant Reves," he says, nodding to each of them. "It will be a pleasure to work with you while our other officers are taking leave. Why don't you take a look around?" He gestures for Scotty to come over to take the two of them out, which he does.
"She's an interesting woman, isn't she?" he says to Spock once they're gone.
"I find them both to be average Starfleet officers, the likes of which I have encountered many times."
Kirk rolls his eyes.
Scott *
Scotty rather enjoys giving the new officers a tour of the Enterprise. They seem very interested in the way the starship works, and, strangely, interested in the ventilation system.
"It circulates through the whole ship?" Lt. Reves asks.
Mr. Scott nods. "It does. Of course, certain vents can be blocked, to some level, but they're all connected."
"Are there access tunnels to it?" he asks, looking at the vent in the engineering room, which can't be opened.
"Well, yes," Scotty says, but he decides not to give any more information. He appreciates their interest in how the beautiful Enterprise works, but the curiosity about the ventilation system is out of place.
"And you power this entire thing just with a few crystals," Lt. Varn says, admiring the engine room somewhat expressionlessly. "Dilithium crystals are very powerful, and I've read a lot about them, but I've never seen one."
"Well, I'll just say the entire ship is not powered only by the crystals," he corrects, "it's a whole balance of things, but they are the main matter-antimatter generators. And I can't show you them right now, but we're going to Alpha-Deci 5 tomorrow to pick up some more, if you'd like to come."
Lt. Varn smiles slightly. "That would be most interesting. If I'm not preoccupied with something else, I will go with you."
Spock *
The next 'day,' the command crew and some of the new officers are gathered in the bridge to monitor and witness their arrival at Alpha-Deci 5.
The planet is almost entirely green from above, since most of its water is underground, but still able to support plant life. Mister Spock cannot help but feel rather out of place when he's on a planet of that type—it is so unlike Vulcan—so he is satisfied that he will not accompany the captain and Mr. Scott to the surface. In the back of his mind, though, there is the ever-present thought that he has never really belonged anywhere, so he cannot feel more out of place on one planet than anywhere else. Half-human, half-Vulcan…
Their ship sets orbit around the green planet and the captain rises from his chair. "Are you sure you're not coming, Mister Spock?"
"Quite certain, Captain," he replies.
Kirk shrugs and gestures for Mr. Scott to follow him. By the turbolift, the two of them meet up with the new officers. Spock is not watching them as he checks his instruments again for any unusual signs, but he can hear what they say quite clearly.
"I heard some of you were interested in coming to the planet with us. If you'd like, you can come with Mr. Scott and me to the transporter room."
And a reply: "That would be very nice, Captain."
As the turbolift doors open, Mr. Scott asks, "I thought Lieutenant Varn wanted to see the dilithium. Is she off doing something else?"
"I believe so, sir."
Kirk *
The transporter is functional, for once, and the party of four beam down to Alpha-Deci 5. The planet reminds Kirk of Earth, but it's quite unlike where he grew up. It's almost entirely forest, except off in the distance, where they've cleared it for mining.
The leader of the mining operation is there to meet them when they appear.
"Ah, you must be James Kirk of the USS Enterprise. Here to pick up your new dilithium?"
Kirk smiles and shakes the man's outstretched hand. "Yes, I am. I assume you have all the information necessary and I'm merely here to grab what I need."
"Yes, sir."
They follow the man into a building. Getting the dilithium is quick, only taking a few minutes. Then the party comes back out and Kirk flips open his communicator.
"Kirk to Enterprise. We're ready to beam up." There's no reply. Jim frowns and adjusts the frequency. "Kirk to transporter room. We're ready to beam in."
"Why aren't they replyin' sir?" Scotty asks, looking concerned.
Kirk marvels at Scotty's ability to state or ask the most obvious and unanswerable things. "I don't know, Mr. Scott. I'm trying to figure that out. Here, maybe it's something with my communicator. Let me try yours."
The engineer hands over his communication device and Kirk takes it. "Kirk to Enterprise. Come in."
There is still no answer.
Uhura *
"You look like you're tired, Lieutenant," Lt. Varn notices.
Nyota looks up. "Oh, no, I'm quite fine, thank you."
"You know, I've studied to be a communications officer. It would please me to experience your job, just for a little while, if you wanted to rest."
Uhura smiles, but she's wondering why she does feel suddenly so tired. She had gotten fine rest the 'night' before. And it's not just her, since she just heard Chekov complain that he was feeling tired as well.
"It's alright."
"If you say so. I just thought, as a starship officer, you would always need to be perfectly alert."
She frowns. She knows Varn is half Romulan, so she might be rather blunt and emotionless, like a Vulcan, but she still finds the comment almost insulting.
"I think I'm doing well enough for the job, Lieutenant Varn. But if you would like to try the controls here, you are welcome to."
"Thank you, Lieutenant Uhura. I appreciate it."
If only Uhura had ever heard that from a particular Vulcan.
She stands up and lets Varn sit down. She hopes the captain won't be angry with her for this. She decides to stay and supervise just in case something odd happens.
She begins to be rather concerned as she turns to look at the occupants of the bridge. Chekov is slumped in his chair as though he has fallen asleep sitting up, and Mr. Sulu is looking tired as well. Mister Spock seems to be unaffected, but that's wholly unsurprising.
Uhura yawns. This net of exhaustion is so sudden and inexplicable that she decides to go to Sickbay to check in with Doctor McCoy.
She goes to Mister Spock, saying, "I'm going to go to Sickbay, if you don't mind. Lieutenant Varn says she can keep up my communications work, but I think you should keep an eye on her."
Mister Spock frowns. "What has suddenly prompted you to go to the sickbay, Lieutenant? I believe you just said you are doing well enough for your job."
"I don't know," she replies. "I just feel strangely tired all of a sudden. Could I go now?"
"You may," he says, still frowning.
Uhura wonders if he's actually concerned about her welfare. Regardless, she goes to the turbolift. As soon as the doors close behind her, she collapses from exhaustion into a deep sleep.
McCoy *
"All of them are healthy and fit for duty. But I'm not familiar with Romulan anatomy, so I could only do my best with Lieutenant Varn."
Bones raises his eyebrows. "It does seem odd that we've got a half-Romulan aboard, doesn't it?"
Christine nods. "With all due respect, I'm not sure I can trust a Romulan."
"Well," McCoy says, "she's gone through all the training of a Starfleet officer, so I'm sure it won't be a problem."
"Yes, sir." She hands him the results of her checkups with the new officers and leaves.
McCoy slips the small, transparent disc into the computer. The screen lights up as the door to the room opens. He turns around to see one of the new officers standing there. The man looks almost as though he's near passing out.
"Doctor, I…." He starts to collapse.
McCoy rushes to the man's side and catches him before he falls to the floor. He starts to shout for Christine, but then the man punches him in the face. Startled, McCoy drops him and steps back. The officer—Bones thinks his name is Reves—stands up and tries to kick McCoy's stomach, to no success. Bones catches his ankle and yanks him off his feet.
What he didn't see behind him was what hit him with a phaser beam and knocked him unconscious.
Spock *
Jim has been gone for too long.
Spock gets weary with the mysterious disappearances of James Kirk. Couldn't the captain just stay out of trouble?
No.
Apparently not.
"Lieutenant Uhu—Varn, contact the captain. It is time to test your knowledge of the communications post. Try each communicator until the landing party can be reached."
Spock finds the woman looking at him strangely. Unfortunately, he has been around humans enough to know that this is a look expressing fondness or admiration.
"Yes, sir," she answers. She adjusts frequencies and tries to contact the communicators on the planet below. It is with less experience and expertise than the way Lieutenant Uhura would do it, but she is still perfectly capable of manning the controls.
"No response, sir. The communicators are receiving the signals, but there are none returned. Anything else, Commander Spock?"
"No, that is sufficient. I am going to beam to the surface to find the captain. You can stay at this post. Mr. Sulu?" He turns to find that Mr. Sulu is slumped over his controls, asleep. Beyond striking him as odd, the way the humans are behaving is beginning to make him nervous. His mind is level, calm, and utterly in control, but he can't push away the emotions that he so humanly feels at times.
"Mr. Sulu." Sulu still does not wake up. Spock shakes his head and begins to walk over to him when Lt. Varn speaks.
"It's because we are not human, isn't it? They're acting different because we're not entirely human like they are."
Spock turns around. "I would say that they are not acting at all. But… yes, whatever has gone wrong is not affecting us undoubtedly because we are not human."
Varn seems to be analyzing him, almost pityingly. "It's hard being half one, and half the other, isn't it?"
It occurs to him that she would know about this feeling he experiences constantly. "Yes, but that is hardly my concern right now, Lieutenant. I am going to find the captain."
She stands up and blocks his way to the turbolift. "Doesn't it bother you that you don't have anyone who understands you? Don't you feel this loneliness every day, and have nothing to do about it?"
Spock is alarmed. This woman is doing amazingly well with stirring up emotion inside of him: curiosity, resentment, confusion, impatience, and… a feeling of isolation.
"I am not alone," he answers her slowly. "You do not realize that the captain is my friend, Lieutenant. Which is why I am going to beam to the planet now." He waits for her to move aside. She does, looking almost disappointed.
The turbolift door opens to reveal an unconscious Lieutenant Uhura. Spock immediately crouches to check her condition.
His hands are suddenly yanked behind his back and tied together with some kind of rope. He struggles against it, but it's surprisingly strong.
Lieutenant Varn pulls him to his feet and wraps the cord around his neck. "I will not kill you, Commander Spock. But I can tell you won't cave to anything I say yet, so I'm going to have to confine you." The rope tightens around his neck. Not enough to choke him, but enough of a threat for her to lead him away from the bridge.
Spock struggles again, hoping he can get into a position to do his nerve pinch.
He doesn't get to as he's escorted into the turbolift, right over Lt. Uhura.
McCoy *
Bones comes conscious alone in a room. He's lying on some sort of bench, and it's not particularly comfortable.
He sits up and looks to the door. There actually is no door, but there's an electric field there, which means he's trapped. The rest of room is empty, except for one chair.
There's some noise down the hall and Bones stand up to see what it is.
The half-Romulan woman is forcing Spock toward McCoy's cell. She has a cord around the Vulcan's neck and probably around his wrists as well.
"Spock. Damn it," McCoy says as the force field is let down for a few seconds and the Vulcan is shoved inside.
Spock takes a moment to catch his breath, then says, "If you have any more useful comments, Doctor, please share them."
Bones rolls his eyes. "So who's in charge of the Enterprise?"
Spock looks at him grimly. "I am uncertain of that. That's our secondary problem."
"The first one bein' getting out of here?"
Spock nods and analyzes the force field. "It does, however, seem illogical to attempt to escape when we are both aware that this room is sealed."
"What, we're going to have to escape by using some form of trickery?"
"Or something," Spock answers absentmindedly. He is, despite what he just said, scanning the corners and ceiling for some form of escape.
McCoy sighs and goes back to the bench to sit down. "Well, Jim will be back before long and he won't stand for this."
"I don't think so, Doctor. The captain cannot communicate with us. Someone has blocked the communication to and from the landing party. Even if we tried to beam them aboard, we do not know their coordinates."
Bones wants to cuss. "What now, then?"
Spock runs his hands along the corners of the wall. Then he stops and turns to McCoy. "Now we wait, or we try to find a way out."
Kirk *
"These people don't have the technology to transport us up to the ship," Kirk says for the third time. He's pacing in front of the building, worried and unsettled. "Who did this?"
"My only assumption is that it was some of the new officers," Scotty answers, even though the question wasn't directed at anyone. "It can only be caused by somethin' from within the ship."
Kirk nods, not liking the thought that someone untrustworthy is aboard his Enterprise. "But who? Which ones?" Kirk realizes he's asking the exact unanswerable questions he had just been mentally accusing Mr. Scott of.
"Well, we can just hope Mister Spock is taking care of everything," Scotty suggests.
Jim sighs. "I have a feeling Spock is in as bad of a situation as we are."
"Is there any way we can signal to the ship from down here?"
"Not without a radio signal of some sort," Kirk grumbles. "There's nothing we can do that would be visible from all the way up there." He's getting genuinely concerned. What would they be doing to Spock, since he would surely be the next target?
"This planet doesn't have interspace communication, does it?" one of the new officers who came with them asks.
"No. Why?"
"I was wondering if we could contact Starfleet."
"Not a chance, lad," Mr. Scott says. "This is a human colony, but they haven't accepted all the new technologies."
Jim swears. Scotty and the other man look up. "Nothing," he dismisses them. "I just hate these situations."
Spock *
"Spock, we can't get out of here. Face it."
Spock's frustrated emotion is showing, even to Doctor McCoy.
"Just sit down, would you?"
He sits in the chair.
He has a feeling the ship is not in orbit around Alpha-Deci 5 anymore. If so, where is it headed? What is the captain doing? How long until someone comes to do something with him and McCoy?
He stands up again and this time climbs on top of the chair so that he can examine the ceiling more closely.
McCoy heaves a sigh and stands. He reaches up and puts his hand on Spock's forearm. "Spock. You can't—"
"Doctor."
"You can't get out of he—"
"Doctor, I believe I just found a way."
McCoy stops speaking and frowns. "What?"
"Give me a moment."
"Whatever you need," the doctor says somewhat sarcastically. He sits with a huff back down on the bed.
McCoy *
Within moments, Spock has broken open a small vent and unscrewed a piece of metal from the interior. He is now looking pleased with himself, despite the fact that he would undoubtedly say that he is not feeling any such emotion.
"What the hell are you going to do with that?" Bones asks, glaring at the metal sheet.
"This," Spock answers unhelpfully. He goes to the doorway and wedges the piece of metal in a small crack between the electric field generator and the wall. He tilts the metal and uses it as a lever to pry the generator from the wall.
Bones wonders how this entire plan went through the Vulcan's head as soon as he saw the air vent. He blames it on the pointy ears.
"Doctor," Spock says, releasing his pressure from the sheet of metal. "I am going to have you do this."
"Why?"
Spock doesn't answer and just hands the piece to McCoy, who takes it. As soon as he touches the metal, he feels that it has some sort of liquid on it. Frowning, he looks down to see green blood on the metal and now on his hands. His gaze darts up to Spock, who is wiping blood off of his hands and onto his uniform. He figures the Vulcan had to use quite a lot of force to pull the vent off the ceiling, as well as pry up the metal. It bothers the doctor part of him that he has nothing to do about it, but he has a more important job now.
Bones places the metal back where Spock had it and starts to push against the generator door frame. It takes a lot of grunting and shoving, but eventually the piece tears off the wall with a crunching sound. A jolt of electric pain shoots up McCoy's arms and he drops the piece of metal with a swearword.
"Well done, Doctor," Spock says. The comment surprises McCoy; the Vulcan actually means it.
He, however, doesn't want Spock to have anything go to his head, so he replies, "Good choice with the metal and electricity. It's a fantastic combination."
Spock looks at him for a moment. McCoy can't tell what he's thinking—as always.
"Well, shall we go?" Bones asks, waving somewhat dramatically at the door.
"I am uncertain of why you're hesitating," Spock says as he strides past the doctor and into the hallway.
McCoy sighs and follows the Vulcan out.
They've hardly gone down the hall and turned the corner when they're met with two phaser points.
"Not yet," Lt. Reves says.
Chekov *
"Lieutenant Uhura. Lieutenant Uhura, wake up!"
"Maybe she doesn't know how to 'vake' up, Chekov," Mr. Sulu says with an amused expression. "Maybe you should try telling her to wake up."
Chekov rolls his eyes and sighs in annoyance.
Uhura clearly is coming conscious, because she smiles, having heard their conversation. "I'm sure Mr. Chekov meant them to be synonymous."
"How are you?" Chekov asks.
She sits up. "Fine. Where are we?"
Chekov and Sulu look at each other.
"Right now we're in the room you were confined to after you fell asleep," Chekov answers. "It took a lot for us to even drag ourselves out of the bridge, but we know what happened."
"Or we guessed," Sulu corrects.
"And?" she says, standing up and taking a phaser from Sulu.
"One of those new lieutenants, named Reves, put some kind of sedative gas in the ventilation system directed toward the bridge. We talked to one of the engineering officers who said the man had been asking persistently about it."
"What about Spock?"
Chekov isn't quite sure why Uhura would immediately ask about the Vulcan, but he answers, "I don't know. I fell asleep right there, and then when I woke up, he was gone."
"Are we going to go find him?" she asks as they leave the room.
"No," Mr. Sulu says. "Sorry, but we're going straight to the shuttlebay."
"Why? Where are we going?" she asks in confusion.
"We're not in orbit around the planet anymore," Chekov says. "We're going back to find the captain."
Spock *
"Miss Varn," Lt. Reves says, "we're going to have to do something with them. If they tried something once, they will try it again."
She considers this. "I suppose. How do you suggest we eliminate them?"
Reves looks at the two of them in a way that Spock interprets as regretfully. "We could kill them."
Varn looks startled. "Yes, I—I think that would work. But is it worth that?"
"Michelle," Reves hisses, "our people are at stake. Are these two lives more important than theirs?"
"I wasn't suggesting they were," she replies vehemently. "Fine, Reves. Take the doctor away. Don't kill the Vulcan."
"I do not—" Spock begins, but he's cut off by a gesture from Varn.
"Do not protest, Vulcan," she says tightly. "I am sparing your life."
The female security guard next to Lt. Reves steps forward and grabs McCoy, who doesn't struggle. With a phaser to his back, she and Reves escort the doctor away.
Spock looks stiffly back to Lt. Varn. "Now what is your plan, Lieutenant?"
She points her phaser at him and gestures for him to walk. He has no choice but to do so.
"I am going to take you back to a room and confine you until this is all over."
Spock is silent as he works the past few minutes over in his head. "Lieutenant Reves said your people are at stake. What did he mean by that?"
She glances at him, then dismisses whatever hesitancy she had, saying, "Since you won't go anywhere until this is over, I might as well tell you." She sighs. "Mr. Reves and I are from a human colony on Beta-Census Two. We are near a war with an alien species that we believe we can't win. So he and I managed to get into Starfleet as students so that we could have a starship. We thought we would have time to become captains, but that takes too many years. Now, along with two of your officers who we have convinced of our cause, we will steer this starship to a space station where it will be taken apart and rebuilt as a war machine. That way we can at least stand a chance."
Spock stops walking. Varn snaps, "Come on. I don't have time to play games."
"I am not playing a game," he tells her. "Lieutenant, if you had explained your situation from the beginning, we could have devised a far more efficient way for you do this. As I recall, the Beta-Census solar system has not contacted Earth since the colony left in the twenty-second century. You must not be part of the United Federation of Planets."
"No," she says bluntly, waiting for him to go on.
"Why did you not bring this up with Starfleet? That would be the logical thing to do."
"You may be a Vulcan and think everything is about logic, but we—they are only human. We are not part of Starfleet, so why would we come to them with our problems?"
"My point is that you do not have to kill to achieve your goal. Starfleet can help you do this, most likely without violence."
"We cannot wait," she says, prodding him with the phaser so he will go into his new confinement room. "It will happen the way we planned it, and if necessary, there will be a few deaths, including that of your friend. That is better than the destruction of our civilization."
Spock does not enter the room all the way so that Varn can't turn on the electric field. "Lieutenant," he insists, "you cannot do this. There is another, more logical way. If you and—"
"No," she says sharply. "I already told you, nothing will change. We will destroy your vessel. I would say I'm sorry, but I am not." She pushes him, just hard enough for him to step back, and activates the force field.
She looks at him for a moment longer before turning on her heel and walking resolutely away.
Uhura *
"Hey, you three! You're not authorized to take that shuttlecraft." A security guard jogs up to Nyota, Pavel, and Sulu. "No one has informed me that you're authorized to board a shuttlecraft. I'm going to have to stop you."
Uhura smiles pleasantly at the man. "No, it's alright. Commander Spock gave us the order."
He narrows his eyes. "Mister Spock isn't even available right now. I don't believe he did."
Nyota looks to Chekov and Sulu. Within that moment, the redshirt pulls out his phaser and hits Chekov with its beam. Uhura flips her own phaser to stun and fires at the man, only to have him dodge it.
"We should make a run for it," she tells Sulu. She hits the security officer, this time kicking him where it counts. Then she grabs Chekov's right arm, Sulu grabs his left, and they drag the unconscious young man toward the nearest shuttlecraft. As soon as they have him in, the officer is back, trying to stop them.
"You don't understand the situation," the man insists. "Don't go to the shuttlecraft!"
"Sorry about this," Sulu says as he hits him with a phaser beam. He goes to drag the man out of the shuttle bay as Uhura prepares to open the bay doors.
"Ready, Mr. Sulu," she calls.
"Just a second," he says he seals the doors back to the Enterprise. As soon as he's back in the shuttlecraft, Uhura opens the bay doors. They fold open with the smooth operation of new machinery, which, given the damage the previous ones had taken, they are.
"Are you sure we should leave Mister Spock? And Dr. McCoy?" she asks Sulu before he directs the shuttlecraft out.
Sulu hesitates. "Yes. We have to go get the captain."
Uhura nods. "Let's go then."
Spock *
Spock is assessing his logical alternatives. They're summing up to be nearly nonexistent. If Spock's going to get Dr. McCoy out of the situation of being killed, he needs to get out of this room quickly. Seeing as the nearest vent is outside of the room, not inside, he doesn't have that option. There's nearly nothing in this smaller room, not even a chair.
He stands at the doorway, examining the electricity generator again. It seems to be flawless.
In a sudden, crashing wave of emotion, Spock turns and slams his fist into the wall, causing it to dent. His hand leaves a smear of dark green in the dent and the pain that flares up in his arm takes about a minute to settle. He feels this strong emotion, this anger, so powerfully he wants to break metal.
McCoy is going to die and I have nothing to do. What will Jim do when he finds out that I am the cause of his friend's death…?
Spock takes a deep breath. This train of thought is illogical. He must focus and think about his situation carefully. As James Kirk would probably tell himself, there is no such thing as a no-win scenario.
This is somehow harder to believe when Spock is ever-presently aware that he died only a few months ago.
"Spock?"
The Vulcan looks up to see Christine Chapel in the hallway, looking confused.
"Why are you in there?"
He gives himself about two seconds to continue calming down before he says, "I was locked here by two people who are trying to control this ship. It would be most…convenient if you would release me."
Chapel nods and clicks the button. The electricity goes out and Spock is finally free to go.
"Thank you, Nurse," he says formally. "I will be in your debt."
"Alright," she says hesitantly. "Now what?"
"Now I will go to find Doctor McCoy."
He leaves, setting off down the hall after where he had last seen Lt. Reves take Doctor McCoy. Chapel follows him.
"I'm going to want a better explanation of this later, sir," she says.
"You might not get that for quite some time," he replies.
As he turns the corner, he sees Lt. Reves and the security guard walking down the hall. He mentally swears. If they're out here, that means Dr. McCoy has already been killed…
He shoves past the two startled people and enters the closest room, imagining finding the doctor dead inside.
And yet McCoy is tied to a wall, but standing up and perfectly alive. He looks up in surprise when Spock enters in a rush.
"Doctor," Spock states, his tone almost nearing an exclamation. "You're alive."
McCoy looks the Vulcan up and down with a confused, scrutinizing expression. Seemingly speechless, he only manages to say, "What an illogical thing to say."
Spock smiles a little.
Kirk *
"What am I going to do, Scotty?" Jim pleads, still pacing, but this time in a room inside the mining building.
The Scotsman sets his chin on his hand and looks at the captain. "It might not be as bad as you think. For all you know, it's just an error in communications."
"There are never errors in the communication," Kirk snaps. Scotty recoils slightly, looking surprised and then exasperated. Kirk feels bad. "You're right. It's just the weight of that crew and ship is on my shoulders."
Scotty cocks his head a bit. "I don't think the weight's on you anymore, Captain. I think it's on Mister Spock."
Jim sits down across from Mr. Scott, sighing. "I don't know how I'm supposed to act right now. It's—I'm not completely unfamiliar with the feeling, but that doesn't make it any better."
"I'm sorry, Captain, but we're just going to have to wait it out."
"Captain!" a red-shirted officer says, bursting into the room. "There's a shuttle headed down here. It's from the Enterprise."
Kirk lights up and springs out of his chair. He clears his throat and straightens his uniform, then goes out to meet the craft.
The Galileo lands smoothly, but only after smacking a few tree branches on the way down. Kirk is quite pleased to see the box-like shuttle, probably more than he ever has been before.
The gray door swings open and Uhura, Chekov, and Sulu exit.
"Captain!" Uhura says happily.
Kirk smiles and walks up to the trio. His expression doesn't last. "How's the ship? Where is it? What happened to Mister Spock? And Bones?"
"Calm down, Captain," Uhura says. "We're not entirely sure. The ship isn't in orbit anymore, and we haven't seen Mister Spock and Dr. McCoy."
"What happened?"
"Well…." Mr. Sulu says. "We'll explain what we know on the way there."
"Do you know—" Kirk stops himself before continuing. "Alright. Mr. Scott, find the last member of the landing party and we'll go in the shuttlecraft." Scotty nods and leaves. Jim looks back to the three in front of him. "Where's the Enterprise?"
"We don't know," Chekov says. "But we think the instruments can still find it."
McCoy *
"Doctor!" Christine exclaims when she enters the room and sees McCoy. "I didn't know what happened to you."
"Not much," he says as he steps away from the wall. "I was just temporarily abducted."
Christine turns to Spock. "What is going on? I think we have time for explanation now."
The Vulcan shakes his head. "We do not. This ship isn't in its orbit around Alpha-Deci 5 anymore, Nurse. It's on a course to a place where it will be taken apart and, apparently, rebuilt as a machine of war."
"What?" Bones interrupts. "They want to rebuild a Federation starship?"
"As far as I know, Doctor, yes. Now I advise neither of you to continue to ask questions. We have to change the ship's course soon and we only have a small amount of time." He turns and leaves the room.
McCoy looks at Chapel.
"He has a point," she says.
Muttering about Vulcans always getting their way, Bones follows Spock out of the room and down the hall to gather phasers.
Spock *
Dr. McCoy, Nurse Chapel, and Mister Spock enter the bridge with their phasers at the ready. The gray and white room seems surprising empty, with only Lt. Varn, Lt. Reves, and one security guard occupying it.
They have caught the three by surprise, but they aren't unprepared. Reves turns with a phaser pointed at Dr. McCoy and the security officer jumps up from the science officer's station and aims a phaser at Spock.
"Drop the weapon or I'll fire without a second thought," Reves orders the doctor.
McCoy drops the phaser in frustration, but before anyone can move, has tackled Reves to the ground. The red-shirted woman whips her phaser over to point it at the two men, but she doesn't dare fire.
Spock internally curses the doctor's impetuosity, but stays calm and looks back to Lt. Varn. "You are outnumbered," he informs her.
"Not for long," she retorts. "We will be at the station above Beta-Census Two before long, and my people will come to take you away. Then you will be outnumbered, Spock."
Spock raises an eyebrow. "Yes, but in your current situation, you are outnumbered, and therefore have few logical actions to take except that of surrender."
Varn takes a few steps toward him. He keeps his phaser aimed, but doesn't fire. "You are condemning my planet to destruction. If I were to surrender, there would be no hope of survival for our people."
"I am doing no such thing," Spock says coolly. "All I ask is that you take a different approach. Your decisions have been rash and illogical. You could do this more easily, which is what I have been trying to tell you. Take your problem to someone who has more experience. If you rebuild this vessel as the war machine you intend it to be, you could wipe out an entire civilization, which is exactly what you are trying to avoid. You do not realize how powerful this ship actually is."
"We don't have time! Don't you realize that we're cutting things closely already? We can't bring this up with Starfleet because we don't have time!" She looks at him, pausing. "You don't know, do you, Vulcan? You don't know because you don't have emotion. You are trying to accomplish this only by logic, and you can't understand the desperate fear we're feeling. You don't relate to the situation because you are only an inhuman…. How shall I put it? Half-breed?"
Spock stiffens. This woman must understand how to get at him because she has experienced the feeling herself.
"Emotion, Spock," she pleads, sounding less devious now. "Let it out. Stop this trap of logic you have put yourself into and understand that you should help us. You are trying to doom an innocent colony to death. Don't you feel something about that?"
He remains silent, his jaw clenched tightly and his gaze focused on the wall behind Michelle Varn.
"Spock," Chapel says quietly from behind him, "you know what she wants. Don't cave to her."
"I know," he says sharply.
"Please help us, Spock," the half-Romulan continues. "Stop allowing yourself to be this stiff, logical, inhuman creature. Let yourself feel. You would never regret it. Isn't that what everyone in this crew would want? You could be so much less… alone."
He finally looks at her. "I cannot promote the probable destruction of a foreign species. And I will not abandon the Vulcan part of me for this."
Varn's expression is somewhere between anger and disappointment. She leans forward and snatches Spock's phaser as she says, "Then you would be promoting the destruction of my people." She glares before continuing, "I thought you might be reasonable, but apparently I was wrong. I wanted to spare you, but that will not happen either." Spock is startled to realize that Lt. Varn is not only disappointed, but genuinely bothered that she will have to kill him. Nevertheless, she says to the security guard at her left, "Stop at nothing to kill him. I want all three of them dead before we reach the station." She turns around and refuses to look at him again.
Spock is almost tempted to change his mind. You are trying to support the wrong side, Spock…
He finds this emotion stirred up inside him disturbing and difficult to deal with. He knows how to subdue emotion, not face it when it comes…
He's waited too long. The officer to his right swings a punch at his shoulder, preparing to fire her phaser simultaneously. He catches her fist in one hand and snatches the wrist of her phaser hand in the other. This, illogically, leaves him no way to do a neck pinch.
He tightens his grip on her right hand until she winces and drops the phaser. Before moving, she says, "I never thought my position would bring me to fight you, Mister Spock."
"It is not your position that is doing so," he responds.
She catches him off guard by suddenly kicking his leg between the knee and the shin. It's a hard enough kick the Vulcan goes to one knee, but he doesn't let go of the woman's wrists. It's probably because of this that she's able to kick his chest hard enough to send him onto his back. She yanks away from him and goes after her phaser.
He has enough time to stand up and grab her before she can reach it. She tries to turn to attack, but he gets to her neck before she does so. With a simple pinch, her body tightens and she goes unconscious.
Kirk *
The Enterprise is within view now. It's nice not to see it half-destroyed. It hits Kirk like a physical wound when his ship is being damaged severely, and it was outstanding that she continued to function even after all the hits she took from the Klingon snake-weapon. Sometimes he thinks the Enterprise has a will of her own just to keep working.
"Can you make this thing move any faster?" the impatient captain asks Mr. Sulu.
"Well, yes, sir."
"Give us maximum speed. Uhura, can you contact the transporter room?"
"I tried, sir. The communication seems to still be down."
Kirk isn't sure what they're going to do if they can't be beamed aboard the ship and they can't open the shuttlebay doors. Then he would be in the same situation as he had been on the planet.
It takes more minutes than Jim would like to get to the Enterprise, but once they're near the shuttle docking point, Uhura gets through with a communication signal.
"They're saying… they'll open the doors. He's also asking if the captain's with us." Uhura looks at Kirk.
"Well, I'd say he is," he replies with a small smile.
"I'm going to guess that's not the man we met up with on the way out," Chekov says.
"No, he's probably still out cold," Sulu says, somewhat smugly.
Kirk shakes his head at the two of them. "Well, Lieutenant Uhura, tell them to pull us in with a tractor beam."
"Yes sir."
McCoy *
"You couldn't kill me earlier. I don't see why you can now," Bones points out as he's slumped against the wall with a gun that isn't a phaser level to his chest.
"You are… too problematic for our plan," Lt. Reves says. "You have left us no choice but to kill you."
"Go ahead," Bones says, testing the man.
His hand on the weapon doesn't waver, but he doesn't shoot at first. Then he cocks it, almost as though it's an old-fashion Earth pistol, and fires.
McCoy got lucky. As soon as the weapon was prepared, two sounds distracted Reves from his shot. First was the sound of Christine Chapel crying out and the second was the sound of a different gunshot. Reves turned at just the wrong—or right, for McCoy—time and his shot hit the wall to Bones's right.
He doesn't have the strength to make a move as Reves is distracted, but he stays distracted longer than Bones expected.
It was because of Varn. She had attacked Christine, or the other way around, and once the nurse was dealt with, Spock advanced on the Romulan. Varn had shot—with the same weapon Reves has almost-aimed at Bones—at the Vulcan and hit him, apparently on the right arm. But Spock continued to fight, which was why Reves was—legitimately—concerned for her.
"It's too late," Bones hears Varn hiss as she ducks Spock's attack. "Look at this," she steps away and clicks the visual on. Bones looks up to it as Reves turns to see as well. Ahead of them, hard to make out but growing larger rapidly, is a dark space station, not unlike the Deep Space stations but more simplistic in design.
"Oh, damn," McCoy says.
This station, which he can see a planet behind as well, is where the Enterprise will be destroyed.
Spock *
The bridge doors open behind Spock. He doesn't turn around as he keeps his gaze on Lt. Varn, who he's expecting will make a move.
"Spock."
Spock turns now, hearing Jim's voice. "Jim. How—"
"In a moment," he interjects. "Scotty, go over and check on Chapel. I don't know what's happened, but it looks like she needs it. Chekov, Sulu, help Bones. Keep your phasers set to stun and aimed at these two."
Spock feels a rush of relief hearing the captain order the crew members around. After spending the last 1.37 hours not knowing what to do with himself, much less anyone else, being under Kirk's command is surprisingly pleasing.
He turns to Lt. Varn. "Now," he adds to the situation, "you are outnumbered."
"What happened, Spock?" Jim asks.
The Vulcan turns back to his captain. "That is a rather long story. I hope I will get time later to explain it." He pauses, then says, "Captain—" But stops himself.
"Yes?" Kirk asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing." Spock clears his throat. "We are nearing the station where our vessel will be destroyed. We must—"
"Destroyed?" Kirk says, appalled. "What are they planning?"
"They intend to take apart your ship and rebuild it as a warship so that they can win a war against an alien species," he explains, doing his best to get it all in one small sentence.
"Well—I—then," Kirk stammers. "So…we need to get out of here."
"You won't," Varn says suddenly.
Kirk raises his eyebrows. "Why not?"
She smirks. "Try it."
He frowns and goes to the navigation controls. Spock watches him, concerned at what the woman meant by that.
"Damn it," Jim swears. "I can't change our course. We're headed straight to docking at that station, and I can't see how to change it."
Spock goes up to him and examines the controls. He attempts to adjust them, using his left arm instead of his right—he's holding his right arm to his side, the pain still informing him that it's broken—but nothing receives his commands.
"What's wrong with it?" Jim asks.
"I do not know. I can only assume they have shut off all controls that could alter our course. It would take a considerable amount of time to isolate where, precisely, the problem is and even after that, it would take time to reactivate the controls. It seems we will dock at that station. We hardly have another choice."
Kirk *
"Tell me how to fix the controls," Kirk demands.
The half-Romulan shakes her head. "I will not."
"I'm the one with the weapon," he reminds her warningly.
She remains resolute.
Jim, starting to get worried, goes to the man. He aims his phaser at him and says, "Tell me how to get my ship off this course."
"We're trying to save our people, Captain. To you it probably seems as though we aren't even sure that we need your ship, but we don't have the same technology our enemies do. We can't fight them. No. The ship must dock."
"Jim," McCoy says from Kirk's left. "You're not going to get them to say anything."
"Bones," Jim says, turning to him. "How are you?"
"Well enough. I'd be more worried about the damn Vulcan if I were you."
Kirk at first is taken aback by the 'damn' Vulcan comment, but he realizes that it might be because Bones is…dare he think it… worried about Spock. Jim glances behind him at Spock, who still has his right arm held to his side and is looking weary. It makes him wonder what the stubborn Vulcan was going to say to him earlier.
"We need to get out of here, Bones," he tells him worriedly.
"You think I don't know that?" he says, irritated.
"McCoy," Kirk insists, pulling the doctor to the corner of the room, "I don't know what I'm going to do if they dock the Enterprise at this station."
"Jim, I don't know what you're going to do either."
A small generator of panic triggers in his mind. No, Jim, you're the captain. You can't panic.
"Well, we need to find a way to get the navigation under control," he says with false composure.
"That would be a place to start, Captain, but I do not believe the most obvious manner of accomplishing that is also the most efficient."
"Hi, Spock," McCoy mutters with a touch of sarcasm.
Jim looks to his first officer. "What are you suggesting, Spock?"
"My only point is that you shouldn't try to change the course from here. The most logical alternative would be to access it from another part of the ship."
"I see the idea," Kirk says slowly. "You mean somewhere more directly connected to the helm."
Spock cocks his head, looking up to the visual. "That would probably be ideal, although I am questioning whether we have time."
Jim follows the Vulcan's gaze. They're at the space station now, and the Enterprise is slowing as she slides into a docking point.
He cusses. "You're right. We don't have time." The panic that was rising in his chest leaps forward now. "Spock, what do I do?" he says, rushed.
"Jim," Spock says slowly, putting a hand on the captain's arm. "Think about it."
Kirk looks up to him. "What do you mean? What am I supposed to do, Spock?"
"Evacuate the Enterprise," he suggests gently.
He stares at him in shock. "Evacuate? I can't leave the ship—"
"You have the choice. It's the ship or the crew."
"I can't leave her—my ship. They're going to destroy it. A Starfleet captain can't walk away from his ship knowing that."
"I'm sorry, Jim. All I am saying is that you could get the crew out, before it is too late."
Jim looks between his friend's eyes and forces himself to face the truth. "You're right. That's the best thing for the crew." He pats Spock's shoulder and walks to his chair. "Lieutenant Uhura, activate red alert. We're evacuating the Enterprise. We need to get as many members as possible into the shuttlecraft and send them back to Starbase 6. I have a feeling no one is going to try to stop us." He looks at Lt. Varn to see her reaction to it all. Strangely, she's looking at Mister Spock and smiling. The Vulcan seems to be unaware of her expression, or choosing to be ignorant of it.
The ship comes to a complete halt. Looking up to the screen, Kirk can tell that the docking port was made for a starship; it's massive, with two arm-like structures stretching out on either side of the Enterprise and several huge contraptions that will, presumably, assist in taking the ship apart.
"A communication signal is coming in, Captain," Uhura informs him. "They say… to lower our shields and allow the transporter to be used."
Kirk closes his eyes. "Mr. Chekov, take down the shields."
"But sir—"
"Just do it," he says, opening them again.
Chekov follows the order.
Kirk can't help but look at Spock and McCoy, perhaps for reassurance. Spock nods slowly. Bones just has a tight, unreadable expression.
"All personnel boarding the shuttlecraft," Uhura says.
Jim's jaw tightens. "Alright. Clear the bridge."
"But sir," Scotty protests, "you can't just leave the ship—"
"Mr. Scott," Spock says. "I do not advise you to express your concern now."
Kirk is grateful for Mister Spock's interruption. The last things he needs right now are second thoughts.
Mr. Sulu, who has not been at his post but instead keeping a phaser on Varn and Reves, escorts them out. Chekov and Scotty leave together with Christine and the redshirt officers, while Uhura, Spock, and McCoy stay behind.
"I guess this is the end of the Enterprise," Lieutenant Uhura says sadly.
Jim swallows hard. "It seems that way, doesn't it?"
"Could you have it any other way, Captain?" Spock asks.
Considering this, Jim shakes his head. "Anything else would mean the deaths of my crew."
"Come on, Jim," McCoy says from his position at the turbolift. "We should go."
He nods and gestures for the three of them to go. He follows them into the turbolift.
Spock *
The shuttlecraft releases itself from the side of the USS Enterprise, gradually drifting away from the larger ship. Jim is watching the screen with his eyes narrowed and his eyebrows tipped upward toward the middle, an obvious sign of his anguish in the situation.
"I can't believe I just gave up my ship," he says, only to Spock.
Spock has little to say. There is a part in him, within the depth of the layers of his conscious thought that is glad that Lieutenant Varn will get her wish. Her colony, at least, can survive an attack from the alien species and win, if not prevent, a war.
But the method is wrong. Spock does not like to think of the damage the starship could inflict when rebuilt, and what humans will use the war machine for once they discover its power.
And he understands Kirk's pain. Besides losing the Enterprise, he probably won't get another starship of his own for some time.
Knowing the human fondness for visual contact of their prized possessions, Spock says to his captain, "You may see it again, Captain."
Jim scoffs bitterly. "As an unfamiliar warship, nothing like the star cruiser I know."
Spock sighs. "That is true."
"Are you going to let me look at that, Vulcan?" Dr. McCoy says, appearing at Spock's left and gesturing to his right arm.
"It would be logical for me to do so," he says, offering his broken arm to the doctor.
As McCoy tends to Spock, he says to the captain, "Are you alright, Jim?"
Kirk has his right hand up against the screen, where the image of the helpless Enterprise grows smaller and smaller.
"If you want the truth? I don't know."